Vols come calling on 20th-ranked Hoyas

Washington, D.C. (Sports Network) - The 20th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas will try
to keep their unblemished home record in tact when they entertain the
Tennessee Volunteers on Friday evening as part of the SEC/Big East Challenge.

Tennessee has suffered just one loss in five tries this season, falling to
Oklahoma State in the semifinals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Nov. 16, 62-45.
The Vols most recently took care of business at home against Oakland on Monday
night, 77-50.

Georgetown's season to this point has been highlighted by a run to the
championship game in the Legends Classic, where it fought hard against the
top-ranked team in the country before losing to Indiana in overtime, 82-72.
The Hoyas were able to bounce back nicely from that heart-breaking defeat
however, making easy work of Mount St. Mary's in their latest bout, 72-50.

The all-time series between these two squads is tied at 1-1, with Tennessee
winning the last matchup on a neutral floor in November of 2008, 90-78.

The key to Tennessee's success on the young season has been due in large part
to its efficient shooting (.465) and its ability to win the battle on the
boards on a nightly basis (plus-5.4 rebounding margin). The Vols shot a lofty
52.8 percent from the field in their latest win, but the real story was the
play of their defense, which allowed Oakland to shoot just 28.6 percent, the
lowest opponent's field goal percentage in a game during Cuonzo Martin's
tenure as head coach. Jarnell Stokes was nearly perfect on the night,
connecting on 7-of-8 from the field en route to 19 points. Trae Golden added
18 points and seven assists, while Kenny Hall narrowly missed a double-double
with nine points and 11 rebounds. Stokes has been the offensive catalyst for
UT through five games, averaging 14.8 ppg on greater than 57 percent from the
field. Golden (12.4 ppg) hands out more than five assists per contest, while
Jordan McRae scores 10.0 ppg from off the bench. Skylar McBee (7.6 ppg) has
just 10 field goals, all of which have come from beyond the arc (10-of-24).

Georgetown has been an even better shooting team than the Vols, draining more
than 50 percent of its field goal attempts en route to 70.2 ppg, and it has
done a stellar job at the defensive end as well (.396 field goal percentage
defense). The 72 points the Hoyas put up on Mount St. Mary's may seem like a
modest night, but they were able to connect on 30-of-47 field goal tries
(.638). Otto Porter continued his fantastic start by netting 17 points on 7-
of-8 shooting while adding 13 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Porter has
been an invaluable asset to the team in all facets of the game, averaging 12.5
ppg, 7.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.3 bpg, and 1.5 spg, all while shooting a lofty 57.6
percent from the floor (including 6-of-8 from three-point range). Greg
Whittingham also tallied a double-double in the win with 17 points and 11
boards, while Markel Starks netted 15 points and Mikael Hopkins chipped in
with a dozen. On the season, Starks puts up 14.0 ppg and Whittingham is a good
bet for a double-double on any given night with 13.6 ppg and 9.0 rpg.